Sorting machine



7 Sheets-Sheet 1 J. W. BRYCE SORTING MACHINE April 13, 1937.'

Original Filed Jan. 19, 1951 ATTORNEY April 13, 1937. J. w. BRYCE 2,076,700

SORT-ING MACHINE Original Filed Jan. 19, 1931 'T Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR April 13, 1937. J, w BRYCE 2,076,700

SORTING MA CHI NE Ori'ginal Filed Jan. 19, 1931 7 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTORNEY April 13,1937. J. w. BRYCE 2,075,700 I soRTING MACHINE l originalFiled Jan. 19, 1931' 'rsheets-sneet4 C lNvENToR AT'TORNEY 7 April 13, 1937.

J. w. BRYr:

SORTING MACHINE Original Filed Jan. l19, 1931 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 lNvENToR f @nl TTOR April 13,'1937. J. w. BRYCE SORTING MACHINE 7 meets-Sheet 7 INVENTOR Original Filed Jan. 19, 1931 A'TToRNEY Patented Apr. 13, 1937 UNITED STATES SORTING MACHINE James W. Bryce, Bloomfield, N. J., assignor to International Business Machines Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Original application January 19, 1931, SerialNo.

509,644. Divided and this' application September14, 1933, Serial No. 689,382

11 claims.

This application is a division of my co-pending application iiled January 19,' 1931, Serial No. 509,644.

.In commercial transactions, for example in banks, it is the present practice to add up various vouchers such as checks and to also sort these vouchers into diierent classifications. For example a number of checks come into a bank drawn on miscellaneous banks. These checks are usually hand sorted to different individual bank classifications and then the amounts of the various vouchers are totaled up on adding machines. The present practice involves the hand sorting of the vouchers and the subsequent adding up of the vouchers on adding machines. Where sorting of the checks into classifications is iirst eiiected by hand the order of the checks is lost by the sorting operation and it is diflicult to verify results should an error occur. In some cases to obviate such diiliculties resort has been had to iirst tallying up and proving each deposit by adding up the various voucher items on an adding machine and then preserving this total, afterwards the checks of one deposit are hand sorted into diierent bank classifications and then another adding operation is made of each of the vouchers in each individual classification,

'I'he above previous practice is both tedious and time consuming and in banks in particular, it is desirable that a distribution of the checks into sorted classifications, the proving up of the amounts of the checks, and the proving up of deposits be made as expeditiously as possible.

The present invention has for its object the provision of a new machine which will materially expedite clearing of vouchers. In brief, the machine is intended to speed up the proving and sorting operations and provide a series of cross checks or proved results which will enable errors to be rapidly located. To this general end a new plan of procedure is adopted. The machine comprises an adding machine of conventional type adapted to list and total up items. Associated with the adding machine are additional classiiication keys. As each voucher or check is entered on the adding machine these classification keys and the usual number keys, are depressed. The operation of these classifying keys, upon the subsequent operation of the adding machine for entering an item is adapted to control the distribution of the vouchers into compartments of a voucher sorter. The vouchers are fed manually one at a time into the machine as the operation of listing progresses. The adding machine in addition to printing and adding a list and totaling the amounts entered therein is adapted to control and bring into operation a perforating attachment and this perforating attachment, for each voucher entered, perforates a card with data giving the amount of the voucher and additional classifying data. The cards thus perforated by the perforating attachment are sorted into compartments under the control of the classification entries-upon the cards and these compartments correspond to corresponding voucher compartments. The machine is provided with means to correlate the voucher sort with the card sort. After the vouchers have been sorted by the machine and the cards have been sorted by the machine, the cards in any one card pocket will correspond in number and amount-to the vouchers inthe corresponding voucher pocket.

It is then possible to remove the cards from any card pocket or from a series of card pockets and pass these cards through a tabulating machine of well known construction, which tabulating machine can run up a list of each of these groups of cards. 'Ihis list will be a detailed list of the cards in a particular pocket and of all of the vouchers in the corresponding voucher pocket or compartment and the list of entries will be in the order of receipt of the cards and vouchers in their respective pockets. Totals may also be obtained on the tabulating machine of the cards in each pocket and of the corresponding vouchers in the voucher pocket as well as a grand total and this grand total can be used for cross-checking with the printed total shown by the adding machine which made the initial entries.

It has been explained before that the adding machine is provided in addition to the usual number keys with classification keys. For convenience in subsequent accounting operations the adding machine may be provided with more than one set of these classiiication keys. In the present embodiment two sets have been shown, but it will be understood that more than two can be provided. By providing additional sets of classication keys more than one set of classification perforations may be provided on the cards. One set may correspond to the card boxes and voucher pockets or boxes and may represent banks, clearing house numbers or the like. The other set may represent individual depositors accounts or the like and do not control the sorting of the cards and of the vouchers into the respective pockets.

These additional or extra classification perforations on the cards permit subsequent sorting operations to be effected by the usual card controlled sorting machines and after such sorting operations on the cards are made it is possible to again run the cards through tabulating machines and make up other accounts, lists or totals as desired according vto this new classification. Such list or total could be for example a depositors statement giving debits or credits to an individual depositor.

Further and other objects of the present invention will be hereinafter set forth in the accompanying specification and claims and shown in the drawings, which by way of illustration show what I now consider to be preferred embodiments of my invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the adding machine end of the machine showing the perforating apparatus and a viewof the sorter card pockets adjacent the adding machine;

Fig. 2 shows sectional views of the voucher and card sorting sections. 'I'he section at the right hand end showing a number of the card pockets or compartments and at the left are shown a number of voucher pockets or compartments which are in back of the card compartment;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the adding machine end of the machine and a top plan View of some of the card and voucher pockets;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of the card pockets;

Fig. 6 is a detail cross-sectional view taken substantially on line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. '1 is a detail part sectional view of the endorsing section for endorsing the vouchers as they are manually placed in the machine; and

Fig. 8 is a circuit diagram.

In more detail I8 designates a conventional adding machine which may be of any desired type. The machine herein illustrated is that shown in United States patent to Goss and Bryce, No. 1,190,752. In place of havinga manually adding operating machine which is shown in the aforementioned Goss and Bryce patent, a motor driven machine may be provided of customary and well known type. Such motor driven machine may have a motor bar II. I2 generally designates the motor housing which contains the customary one revolution clutch mechanism. I3 is a drive shaft extending from within the motor housing I2 for driving the card and voucher sorting sections of the machine. As shown in Fig. 4, the adding machine comprises the usual amount keys I5, classification keys I6 and an additional set of classification keys I1.

The adding machine has as is shown in the Goss and Bryce patent,v a perforating section generally designated I8. 'This perforating section is controlled from the item keys I5 and the classification keys I8 and I1. The perforating attachment here shown is adapted to perforate so-called Hollerith type cards.

In the operation of the machine, amounts are entered on the adding machine in the usual way and the proper and corresponding classification keys are depressed. Taking a particular transaction for example, keys I6 can be depressed to represent a clearing house number and keys I1 can be depressed to indicate an account number or the like. 20 conventionally designates a listing and totaling attachment and this listing and vtotaling attachment has the usual paper roll on which is tallied up a list of amounts and a list of classication numbers as entered into the machine and a total of a given group of amounts. It will be understood that as the entry on each voucher is entered on theadding machine I0 a card is Withdrawn from a card magazine 2| and passed into the perforating attachment I8 and there suitably perforated with perforations corresponding to the amou'nts and classiilcation and is thereafter discharged intothe chute generally designated 22 in Fig. 1. Just before the operator depresses the motor bar II, which is the last operation upon the adding machina'the operator of the adding machine manually presents the voucher or check to a chute 23, Fig. 7, which chute leads to an endorsing mechanism conventionally designated 24. Upon the operation of the machine the endorsing rolls rotate and endorse the check or voucher and deliver it downwardly upon a plate 25. At the end of the adding machine operation a voucher or check will be resting upon tray 25 and a corresponding card will be perforated and disposed in chute 22. Upon the next operation the voucher and corresponding card will be carried along into the voucher sorting and card sorting section of the machine by means which will now be described. Referring to Fig. 1, the shaft I3 through suitable gearing 28 is adapted to turn Geneva device 21. This Geneva device in turn drives sprocket shaft 28. 28 has mounted upon it a pair of sprocket wheels 29 V(see Fig. 3), and another pair of sprockets 38. Sprockets 29-serve todrive a pair of belts or chains 3| which have mounted at intervals thereon fingers or pusher arms 32. These pusher arms 32 upon the intermittent advance of -the chain pick up the card from the card receptacle 22 (see Fig. `1) and carry it along past sensing stations and sorting pockets or stations such as 39 into which sorting stations the card is delivered. At the opposite side of the machine there is provided the voucher transporting and sorting mechanism which is of identical construction, viz. there are chains 3Iv provided cooperating with the sprockets 30. These chains have similar iingers 32u associated therewith which push the voucher along a track over the voucher pockets 39u. No sensig'stations are, however, provided at this'section -of the machine because sensing is eifected on the cards and not o n the vouchers. It will be understood that there is one voucher compartment corresponding to and disposed directly behind each card pocket.

In order to support the belt or chain 2I the chain can be provided with guide pulleys 34 mounted on cross shafts 35 and cooperating withy supporting rails 36, (see Fig. 3). By the pushing action of the fingers 32, the cards are carried along a track 31 (Fig. 5) which track is provided with slots at intervals theralong to permit shutters or deflectors 38 to be lifted up above the plane of the card to divert it into a pocket 39. The voucher section is provided with a similar construction. J

Control of the action of the-shutters 38 is effected in the following manner. Disposed in the track are contact blocks 40. These are mounted in insulating material as shown. In Fig. 6, 31 is the track and 31a comprises an insulated portion of the track which receives the contact blocks 48. The card proper is shown at C. It will be understood that the track 31 is slotted longitudinally to permit the ngers 32 to extend down below the level of the card. The deflectors 38 and 38D are likewise notched to permit fingers 32 and 3211 to pass by. As the card is fed along, sensing brushes 4I traverse the card and cooperate with the classification perforations therein. For certain stations two sensing brushes are provided and for other stations one sensing brush is provided.

Previously it has been-explained that after an operation of the adding machine a card is in the chute 22 ready to be intercepted by the fingers ofl the chain. On the next operation of the adding `machine this card is advanced to the lrst sensing station. The corresponding voucher is also advanced in the voucher sorter. The card then remains at this first sensing station. It will be assumed that the first-card is resting at Athe first sensing station shown in Fig. 1 at 42. It will also be assumed that this rst card is perforated to 5 correspond with the brushes at the sensing station .numbered 24. Upon the next operation of the adding machine -an operating cycle ensues. Certain cam contacts 43 (see Fig. 8) close a circuit permitting current to flow through one ccntact block below the card and thence through one perforation of the card, through one brush, thence through the other brush, back to the contact block and down to a magnet 44.

Energization of this magnet attracts its armaintercept the card and divert it into the pocket corresponding to this particular classification. As the operating cycle ensues, the card is advanced and is deflected and dropped into the appropriate pocket 39. 'I'he deector 38 is provided With a shaft 45 which shaft extends transversely across into the voucher section of the machine (see Fig. 4). In the voucher section of the machine there is a corresponding deector 38o secured to the shaft 45 and this deector 38o operates in an identically similar manner to divert the voucher into the correspondingA voucher pocket 39o for example. At the end of each operating cyclethe circuit through each sorting magnet 44 is broken and the deflectors are returned to their normal position under -spring action. The sorting machine is provided with the usual stick circuit relay points which are of conventional form and the circuit to these stick circuit relay points is interrupted at the proper'time in the circuit by cam contacts 46 (see Fig. 8).

'I'he circuit need not be further described since it is substantially similar to that shown in Bryce Patent No. 1,651,180. It 'may be mentioned, how- 40 ever, that in the circuit diagram, Fig. 8, M is the driving motor, 41 is a motor switch, Il represents the motor bar of the adding machine and 48 represents the magnet operating the one revolution clutch which is disposed within the hous- 45 ing l2. Individual switches such as 49 are also provided for cutting out the magnet circuit for any desired pocket.

It is not believed that a detailed description is necessary of the operation of sorting at single 50 brush stations because here the circuit merely passes through one contact block through a single brush and thence through the sorting magnet.

It will also be understood that if a particular card does not have perforations which match 55 the brushes at say the first sensing station, this card will proceed on down the sorting track step by step until it encounters brushes at the sensing station where it does agree with the controlling perforatons. When this occurs the card will be diverted into its corresponding card pocket and the corresponding voucher at the opposite side of the machine will be diverted into the corresponding and correlated voucher pocket.

At the extreme right hand end of the '.nachine (see Fig. 2), reject boxesare provided, onefor the cards marked 50, the other for the vouchers which is of identical construction and directly behind box 50. Box 50 is provided with a fixed deector 5l and the voucher reject box has a' similar fixed deflector. These reject boxes are adapted to respectively receive any cards which have not been diverted into previous boxes or any vouchers which have not been diverted into previous voucher compartments and also will re- 75 ceive any cards which lack perforations and the ture and rocks its defiector4 38 to a position to4 mechanism. -Each card will be sensed and delivered into its appropriate sorting pocket. As each card is delivered into its appropriate pocket the voucher which corresponds to the card will be delivered into the corresponding correlated voucher pocket or compartment.

What is claimed is:

1. In a sorting machine, in combination, a

.plurality of record sorting stations for sorting records according to their perforations repre-- senting a single number on each record, a `supplemental set of sorting stations foi` sorting records of another type, an analyzing device'at each of the sorting stations "first mentioned, each controlling means for causing when the perforated record represents the correlated number its disposition in the'cor'related station, and means whereby the analyzing device at each station causes the disposition of a record of the other type in -the 'correlated sorting station of the supplemental set.

2. In a machine of the class described, in combination, a movable conveyor having means for engaging edges of a perforated record to present the same to a plurality of sorting stations, a supplemental movable conveyor structurally separate of the rst named conveyor and having means for engaging edges of an unperforated record to present the same to supplemental sorting stations, means for analyzing the perforations of the records, and means controlled by said analyzing mechanism for causing. a correlated sorting of the perforated and unperforated records.

3. In a sorting machine, in combination, a plurality of sorting stations, means for analyzing perforations in records representing classications exceeding in number the .ten digits but only one classification on a record, comprising at some stations a single analyzing element, each for correlation with different index-pointpositions, and at other stations a plurality of elements for correlation with different combinations of indexpoint positions, a deflector at each station, means whereby .the analyzing device at each station controls the operation of the related deiiector, a plurality of other sorting stations, and means whereby the analyzing device at each. stationupon analyzing a single number classification represented causes by the last named sorting stations the correlated sorting of records of another type.

4. In a sorting machine, in combination, a plurality of sets of sorting compartmentsmeans for conveying perforated records to one set o f sorting compartments, means structurally separate of the rst-named means for conveying unperforated records to the other set of sorting compartments, means for causing a concomitant operation of both of said conveying means for presenting a perforated record at one compartment at the same time a correlatedunperforated record is at a correlated compartment, means for analyzing single number representing designations of the perforated records, said analyzing means causing the sorting of a perforated and correlated unperforated record in accordance with the single number represented on the perforated record.

5. In a sorting machine, in combination, a plurality of sets of sorting stations, each set exceeding two in number, means for effecting a step-by-step movement of perforated records past one set of sorting stations, and unperforated records past the other set of sorting stations, manually controlled means for causing an operation of said means when an unperforated record is manually placed in position for sorting, automatic means for feeding a perforated record from a supply stack and operated by the manually controlled means, means for analyzing single number digit representations on the perforated records, means controlled by said analyzing means to cause the sorting of the perforated records into separate groups by one of said sets of sorting stations, and means controlled by said analyzingmeans to cause the sorting of unperforated records into separate groups by the other set of said sets of sorting stations.

6. In a sorting machine, in combination, a

ing stations and supplemental means for feeding unperforated records past the other set of sorting stations, devices for feeding the perforated records from a supply stack singly. to the correlated feeding means, feeding rollers for feeding an unperforated record manually inserted between said rollers to the -correlated feeding.means,means manually controlled and operable when an unperforated record is placed between said rollers for causing an operation of the latter and said feeding devices and concomitantly causing an operation of the perforated record feeding means and the unperforated record feeding means, means for analyzing digit representations on the perforated records, means controlled by the analyzing means to cause the sorting of the perforated records into separate groups by one set of sorting stations, and means controlled by the analyzing means to cause the sorting of the unperforated records into separate groups by the other set of sorting stations.

7. In a sorting machine, in combination, a plurality of sets of sorting stations, record analyzing means for perforated records, sorting means controlled by said analyzing means for sorting the perforated records into correlated sets in one set of sorting stations, supplemental sorting means controlled by said analyzing means for sorting unperforated records into correlated sets in the other set of sorting stations, separate record feeding means for each set of sorting stations, feeding rollers for feeding an unperforated Vrecord manually inserted between said rollers to the correlated feeding means, reciprocable perforated record feeding devices for feeding records singly to the other feeding means from a supply stack, and means set into operation under manual control and after an unperforated record is inserted between said rollers for causing the operation of the feeding rollers and said reciprocable perforated record feeding devices.

8. In a sorting machine, a plurality of sets of sorting stations, conveying means for feeding perforated records and unperforated records past said stations, perforated record analyzing means,

cyclically operated means for effecting the operation of the conveying means, sorting means controlledby said analyzing means for sorting the perforated and unperforated records in correlated sets, feeding Vrollers for feeding an unperforated record manually placed into engagement with the feeding rollers to the conveying means, meansfor feeding perforated records singly from a stack to the conveying means, and means set in operation under manual control after an unperforated record has been placed in engagement with said feeding rollers for causing a single cycle of operation of the cyclically operated means and concomitantly therewith the operation of said feeding rollers and said feeding means. J

9. In a sorting machine. in combination, a set of sorting stations exceeding two in number for sorting perforated records, a supplemental set of sorting stations exceeding two in number for sorting unperforated records, means for feeding a perforated record to a station of one set and supplemental feeding means for feeding concomitantly an unperforated record to a related station of the other set, manually controlled means for feeding one of the unperforated records to the supplemental feeding means and other means operable concomitantly therewith for feeding the perforated record to thedlrstnamed feeding means, perforation analyzing means for analyzing digit representations on said perforated records, and means controlled by the latter for vcausing a correlated sorting of the perforated records in a number of groups and the separate sorting of unperforated records in other separate groups.

10. In a sorting machine, in combination, a plurality of record sorting stations for sorting perforated records each perforated record representing a single number, a supplementalset of sorting stations for sorting records of another type, an analyzing device at each station for analyzing the perforated record while in motion, each analyzing device controlling means for causing when the perforated record represents the correlated number its disposition in the correlated station, and means whereby the analyzing device at each station causes the disposition of a record of the other type in the correlated sorting station of the supplemental set.

11. In a sorting machine, in combination, a plurality of sets of sorting stations, means lfor analyzing perforated records, means for moving the perforated records to said analyzing means and past one set of sorting stations, means for moving unperforated records past the other set ofsorting stations. record feeding means for4 feeding a perforated record from a supply `stack to the perforated record moving means, manually controlled means for causing an operation of the record feeding means and both of the aforesaid moving means when an unperforated record is manually placed in position for sorting, means controlled by said analyzing means to cause the sorting of the perforated records into separate groups by one set of sorting stations, and means controlled by said analyzing means to cause the sorting of unperforated records into separate groups by the other set of sorting stations.

JAMES W. BRYCE. 

